Recently, I came across a few photos I took from the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition I went to in Manchester. It's scary to think that these photos were taken two whole years ago, during my first week at Gloucester uni and my how quickly the time has flown by. My only regret is that I didn't take any more snaps, but I specifically remember a gallery employee stalking the halls like a wide-eyed hawk as photography wasn't actually allowed, but c'mon, as a magazine journalism student, how could I not leave with just a few stored away on my phone?
The reigning supreme of fashion magazines had just celebrated reaching 100 years of age, and boy did Vogue put on a show to mark the occasion. As soon as you stepped into the exhibition an immersive video played on a loop in its own little room, highlighting previous shoots, collaborators, models and clips used from the magazine. Not to mention, there was an extremely catchy song being played over the top which I remember having stuck in my head all day, I can even remember it now.
Plastered all over the walls were hundreds of photographs commissioned by Vogue over the years. Split into different decades, as you walked round the room you followed the story of Vogue and their progression from the 20's all the way up to present day.
To the left shows highlights from their presence in the1990's focusing on Broken Glamour. Work was taken by Julian Broad, Craig McDean, Sarah Moon and Corinne Day just to name a few.
Amazingly they also had the entirety of Vogue's back issues starting with the very first one that came to the UK in 1916. Something even more amazing was witnessing all their illustrated covers, something of which is unfortunately becoming extinct in the publishing word. A part of me wishes that all magazine's still did illustrated covers (one of many reasons to why I love Oh Comely), just because they're so intricate and beautiful.
I kind of wish I went to the exhibition towards the end of my degree, I would have understood how big the achievement is, and I certainly would have appreciated it a whole lot more, but at least I have some photo's to remember the occasion.
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